The story of Antanas Mockus who became mayor of the South American city of Bogota, Colombia, offers insight.

When Mayor Mockus was elected in 1995, his city faced routine violence driven by a decades long drug war.

“In a society where human life has lost value,” Mayor Mockus wrote, “there cannot be another priority other than re-establishing respect for life as the main right and duty of citizens.”

Mayor Mockus and the City of Bogota supported open-air night concerts and improved sidewalks and bike paths. The city became known internationally for their renowned public transportation, the Transmilenio bus rapid transit system.

And Bogota prioritized reducing pedestrian deaths. Mayor Mockus had stars painted in those places where pedestrians had been killed, and he challenged the culture of killing pedestrians with impunity.

In concert with other policies, the efforts of Mayor Mockus led to a drop in homicides from 80 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1993 to 22 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2003.

Pedestrian deaths also plummeted from 1,300 per year to 600.

Pedestrians are a kind of indicator species for cities: if pedestrians can safely use public space, cities typically succeed in protecting their most vulnerable populations.

Yet in Memphis and the United States at large, we still have a long way to go.

Nearly 6,000 pedestrian were killed in the United States in 2016 - the single largest increase in pedestrian fatalities since the Governors Highway Safety Association began keeping records.

Smart Growth America has shown that non-white people and older pedestrians are most at risk of being killed.

An average of four non-white pedestrians per day were hit by cars in 2016, and pedestrians aged 65 or older were 50 percent more likely to be killed.

Memphis was ranked as the 9th most unsafe city for pedestrians last year - and the trend line is worsening. 23 pedestrians were killed in Memphis in 2015. 33 were killed in 2016.

But pedestrian deaths are preventable deaths. They typically occur in places that are dangerous by design, on roadways with high traffic speeds, low driver visibility, and little or no infrastructure to protect people who walk.

The protected bike lanes on Riverside Drive will immediately improve safety for pedestrians. They will slow down auto traffic, increase driver awareness, and create better pedestrian access between downtown and the crown jewel in our city’s public space: the Memphis Riverfront.

I believe that the built environment in Memphis can reflect what Mayor Mockus called a respect for “the sacredness of life.” Our city can be a place that cares - in every way possible - for the most vulnerable in our community.

Join Bike Walk Memphis for a “Rally for Safe Streets” at 12:15 P.M. on Wednesday, May 3 at Memphis City Hall.

Anthony Siracusa, a Memphis native, is president of Bike Walk Tennessee.